Cartridge case ejection mechanism



Oct. 23, 1956 c. P. TAYLOR CARTRIDGECASE EJECTION MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 we'd Dec. 11 1951" INVENTOR. CLARENCE R TAYLOR ATTORNEY 'Oct. 23, 1956 c. P. TAYLOR CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11 -1951 INVENTOR. CLARENCE P. TAYLOR FIG. 4

ATTORNEY Y ilnited States Patent 2,767,617 CARTRIDGE CASE EJECTION MECHANISM Clarence P. Taylor, Manhattan Beach, Calif., assignor to North American Aviation, Inc.

Application December 11, 1951, Serial No. 261,115 4 Claims. (Cl. 89-33) This invention pertains to an arrangement for positively moving empty cartridges from an automatic gun into a cartridge chute.

In machine gun installations in airplanes, tanks, and the like, it is necessary to convey empty cartridge cases away from the gun into a container therefor or to a location outside the airplane or tank. When the airplane, for instance, is involved in combat and the gun is fired during a steep climb, push-over, outside turn, inverted flight, or the like, there may be a force several times that of gravity acting to retard the passage of the cartridge through the chute.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an arrangement whereby cartridges are positively moved from an automatic gun into an ammunition chute.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an arrangement for forcing cartridges through an injection chute against a relatively great force.

It is still a further object of this invention to modify an automatic gun so that the operating force for moving the cases can be obtained from the ordinary operation of the gun.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a simple adapter which will operate with existing automatic guns to perform the objects of the invention without extensive modification of the guns.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational View illustrating the adapter mounted in a gun;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the adapter;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the adapter;

Fig. 4 is an end view taken from the right in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the adapter; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail, partly in section.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a conven' tional automatic gun I of the recoiling barrel type provided with a barrel extension 2 having a chamber 3 for receiving the cartridges and a bolt 4 having attached thereto an extractor 5. The forward face of the bolt is provided with a T slot 6 for receiving the cartridges in a manner well known in the art. By means of well known mechanism, not shown, live cartridges are supplied to the bolt with the groove 34 in the base of the cartridge received in the slot 6.

Applicants invention comprises the case ejection adapter referred to generally as 7. The adapter is composed generally of a body member 8 provided at the forward portion thereof with a pair of locating and supporting lugs 9 for attachment to lugs 9a, and a shaft 10. Lugs 24 carried by member 10 serve to fasten the adapter to a fixed part of the machine gun such as rails 25. Also attached to rod 10 is a detent 26 adapted to be engaged by spring 27 to hold it in its locked position as shown in Fig. 4.

The forward portion of the adapter is provided with a hollow cylindrical part 11 for attachment to a flexible ejection chute 12. Empty cartridge cases ejected by the machine gun will pass through the opening 13 in part 11 into the ejection chute 12 in a manner to be hereinafter more particularly described.

Attached to the lower central part of the adapter by means of bolts 14 is a spring 15 having a part 16 for supporting empty cartridge cases 32. Members 15 and 16 are adapted to rest on top of nut 17 of bolt 18 which in turn is carried by a U-shaped portion 19 of the adapter. Spring 20 in its extended position holds part 16 in position for receiving the empty cartridge case and assists in returning the part to this position after the empty cartridge case has been forced downwardly by the feeding of a live round to the machine gun as shown in Fig. 1. Bolt 18 extends between the legs of U-shaped member 19 during this operation.

Also attached to central portion of the adapter by the bolts 14 is a generally U-shaped member 21 comprising a pair of convergent plates 22 slightly spring-pressed and having a clearance at 23 slightly less than the base of the cartridge so that the plates will spring apart to permit the empty case to pass therethrough but also prevent the empty case from returning. The end of this U-shaped member at 23 also serves to support a column of empty cases when they are being ejected against a force such as may result from acrobatic maneuvers of an airplane.

The adapter is also provided with a U-shaped arm 28 pivotally mounted in the forward portion of the adapter at 259 and urged upwardly by spring 30. This arm is operatively associated with passageway 13 and serves to positively force live rounds of ammunition into the cylindrical portion of the adapter and through passageway 13. Member 28 is forced downwardly by the bolt of the gun during firing and extraction of the empty case, whereupon it is forced upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2 by spring 30 for the purpose specified. Passageway 13 is provided with a pair of cam surfaces at 13a to force the empty cartridge case into the portion of the adapter for transmission to the flexible chute.

The adapter may also be provided with a spring 31 for tilting the empty cartridge cases in the cylindrical portion of the adapter to prevent jamming thereof by successive empty cases.

In the operation of the device the adapter is fastened to the gun by means of lugs 9 fitting into a recess 9a in the machine gun, and lugs 24 engaging the rails 25, or the like, of the gun. Detent 26 is held in locked position by spring 27. When the gun is fired, an empty cartridge case 32 is extracted from the chamber of the gun in a well known manner, and forced down slot 6 by a live round of ammunition such as 33 in a manner well known in the art. At this point, however, instead of being ejected from the gun in the usual manner, the cartridge is retained by portion 16 of spring 15 in position with the upper tip of groove 34 of the cartridge received in the lower portion of the slot 6 of bolt 4. Empty cartridge case 32 will compress spring 15 to force member 16 downwardly to where it engages nut 17, and also forces bolt 18 downwardly against the action of spring 20. Forward motion of the bolt 4 which engages the upper tip of empty cartridge case 32 results in movement of the empty cartridge case past the intermediate support provided at 17 by spring 28, whereupon the reaction comprising the force provided by the forward motion of the bolt, together with that provided by the auxiliary spring 20, will tend to tilt the empty cartridge case 32 downwardly into passageway 13 and into chute 12. Empty cartridge case 32, of course, is held against upward movement by reason of the force applied thereto by live cartridge 33. Case 32, in passing along member 16, will spread plates 22 to permit passage therebetween of the empty cartridge case until it passes point 23, whereupon plates 22 spring back into their normal position as shown in Fig. 3.

The device is capable of operation at high rates of firing, without jamming, and will force empty cartridge cases into and through a chute even though the cases are subjected to a force several times that exerted by gravity.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of this invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with an automatic gun provided with a bolt having a slot for holding cartridge cases while being fed to the chamber of the gun and during extraction of the empty cases; a chute for receiving said empty cases; and an adapter comprising means for positioning each of said cases upon extraction thereof from said chamber in substantial alignment with said chute with the case engaged in the lower part of said slot so as to be forced into said chute upon forward motion of said bolt, and means for disengaging said case from said slot upon being directed into said chute.

2. An adapter for empty cartridge cases extracted from an automatic gun comprising a forward end having a portion for attachment to an ejection chute; longitudinally extending tiltable means for supporting cartridge cases extracted from said gun, stop means at the rear of said adapter for limiting downward movement of said tiltable means so that cases supported thereon are engaged by said bolt during a portion of its forward travel, said stop means providing a fulcrum for said tiltable means, and means on the forward end of said adapter for guiding said cases in said chute.

3. An adapter for empty cartridge cases comprising a substantially cylindrical portion for attachment to an ejection chute; cam means operatively associated with said cylindrical portion for guiding empty cartridges thereinto; means for resiliently supporting said empty cases in substantial alignment with said cylindrical portion, auxiliary support means operatively associated with said resilient supporting means to provide a fulcrum upon which said supporting means is tilted for directing said cases into said chute, and means operatively associated with said cam means for guiding a live round into said cylindrical portion.

4. An adapter for empty cartridge cases comprising a substantially cylindrical portion for attachment to an ejection chute; cam means operatively associated with said cylindrical portion for guiding empty cartridges thereinto; means for resiliently supporting said empty cases in substantial alignment with said cylindrical portion, auxiliary support means operatively associated with said resilient supporting means to provide a fulcrum upon which said supporting means is tilted for directing said cases into said chute, and convergent side plates for receiving said resilient supporting means therebetween, said plates being convergent at their forward ends to a size less than that of the bases of said cases, and spring-pressed to permit passage, but to prevent retraction of the cases therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,500,139 Swebilius Mar. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 460,474 France Dec. 13, 1913 479,399 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1938 

